May only truth be spoken, and truth
received. Amen.
In
the first century of the Common Era, the Roman Peace was the promise of peace
through the conquest of lands. Roman armies traveled from place-to-place
conquering smaller powers and ushering in protection and hopes for prosperity
in exchange for tribute and obedience. The spoils of their campaigns brought
material and cultural wealth to the Roman center, while leaving the townspeople
in the subject lands to pay the price.
Starting
with a small circle of twelve disciples which, in today’s Gospel reading, has
now become seventy, Jesus instructs his followers to go from town to town to
“share in peace” with whatever household they enter. What is this peace that
Jesus instructs his apostles to proclaim? It is not a peace won on the backs of
commoners and soldiers, it is not a peace reserved for the wealthy at the
expense of the elite, nor a peace through destruction or death. The peace that
Jesus’ apostles bring to each town is the peace of life.
But
this was no starry-eyed expedition expecting universal interest and welcome. Jesus
talks about the cities and homes that will welcome them, and about those that
will not. They will not have been the only travelers on the road who had to
rely on the hospitality of people who did not know them. The Seventy join the
people who travel without resources, a group of wanderers and refugees, of
aimless people, and people who have a definite goal, whether it is asylum or
escape or a chance to earn money to support the family at home. There have
always been such people on the road, then and now, and they have always met
with both hospitality and hostility. And now the Seventy learn what that does
to a person.
Sometimes,
the common lectionary omits lines that someone doing the editing felt were
unimportant. A lot of the time, the lines omitted are genealogies or mundane
facts. But today, a line was omitted that I think is important for today’s
lesson. Verse 12 says: “I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for
Sodom than for that town.” Now why does Jesus bring up the city of Sodom?
We
all know the story of Sodom and Gomorrah from the book of Genesis. Throughout
Jewish Scripture, with echoes also in Christian Scripture, Sodom and Gomorrah
are remembered as examples of horrifying destruction, cities destroyed because
the people were sinful and therefore God destroyed the cities. That’s a
simplified telling of the story, but my point is that most people erroneously
identify the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah as one of sodomy, of sexual misbehavior.
But, in truth, their sin was one of inhospitality. Both Isaiah and Ezekiel
identify the sin of Sodom as refusing to defend widows and orphans and not
helping those in need. According to these prophets, the depravity of the city
of Sodom showed itself in their refusal to offer hospitality to the travelers
who came to them needing shelter. Instead of feeding and protecting these
visitors, they demanded to be allowed to do some not-so-nice things to them.
Isaiah and Ezekiel say that by loving religious ritual instead of caring for
the poor and powerless, the people of God demonstrated deep depravity.
Throughout Scripture the consistent analytic is clear: the real quality of a
people is revealed by how they welcome travelers without resources.
In
the households who do receive them and among the towns in which they reside,
the disciples spread Jesus’ healing power, proclaiming the word of God. And it
is significant that the only specific instruction given by Jesus to the seventy
is to heal the sick. Increasingly for Christians today, the ministry of healing
is strong and widespread. There is a realization that in a frantic and tense
and fearful world, the strength of the Christian faith can bring healing to the
lives of individuals, a renewed sense of peace. Peace is, and always has been,
a catchword in politics. Everyone wants peace. No one (or, at least, only a
small minority) wants conflict. And yet our world is ridden with conflict. Wars
waged in the name of peace. Low-income homes leveled in gentrified
neighborhoods for the sake of prosperity. Treaties are broken and religions
demonized for the illusions of security and independence.
The
Roman Peace was a great and glorious time for the elite few. For the rest of
the world, it was a time of fear and trial. There are voices in our world who,
for example, want to “make America great again”. Others are claiming a desire
for reconciliation with Indigenous People but are not following their words
with actions. For example, of the 94 calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission, a measly 13 have been proven to be completed. These movements will,
without a doubt, benefit elite subsets in each nation. But, as Christians, we
are called not to ask whether we will be on the side that benefits from or
suffers from this imposed greatness. Rather, we are called to ask how to serve the
only Great One, who sends us “like lambs into the midst of wolves” to bring a
different kind of peace.
God’s
peace is a peace founded on life, rather than death. On relationship, rather
than enmity. On engaging in and accepting mutual hospitality, rather than
building walls of division. Today’s generation of Christians are called to a
ministry of healing, both in individual lives as well as in social and
political situations.
Luke’s
passage ends with the Seventy being surprised that they were able to heal
others. But Jesus wasn’t surprised. He had faith in his followers then, just as
he has faith in us now. While the road may be paved in hostility, let us be the
ones to be hospitable to the visitor, the ones to bring healing to the people
and to our nation. Do this, and “rejoice that your names are written in
heaven.”
Amen.
